‘You lost consciousness.’
‘Why?’ His eyes wandered anxiously over the traces of blood on the floor and my clothes. I’d managed not to get any on Egor.
‘It’s my blood,’ I explained. ‘I cut myself by accident. You have to be careful when you enter the Twilight, Egor. It’s an alien environment, even for us, the Others. While we’re in the Twilight world, we have to expend our strength constantly, feeding its vital energy. But a little at a time. If you don’t keep control of the process, the Twilight will suck all the life out of you. It’s just a price we have to pay.’
‘And I paid more than I should have done?’
‘More than you had. And you almost stayed in the Twilight world for ever. It’s not death – but maybe it’s worse than death.’
‘Let me help …’ The boy winced as he sat up – he must have felt dizzy. I held out my hand and he started bandaging my wrist, clumsily but trying hard. The boy’s aura hadn’t changed, it was still iridescent, neutral. He’d already entered the Twilight, but it still hadn’t left its mark.
‘Do you believe I’m your friend?’ I asked.
‘I don’t know. Not my enemy, I suppose. Or you can’t do anything to me!’
I reached out and touched the boy’s neck and he instantly tensed up. I unfastened the chain and took it off his neck.
‘You see?’
‘So you’re not a vampire?’ His voice was slightly husky
‘No. But that’s not why I could touch the garlic and the silver, Egor. They won’t stop a vampire.’
‘But in all the films …’
‘And in all the films the good guys always beat the bad guys. Listen, kid, superstitions are dangerous, they give people false hope.’
‘Isn’t there any real hope?’
‘No. Not really.’ I got up and felt the bandage. Not bad, it was quite tight and holding firm. In half an hour I’d be able to heal the wound with a spell, but I didn’t have enough strength yet. The boy looked up at me from the sofa. Yes, he was a bit calmer now. But he still didn’t trust me. It amused me that he paid no attention to the owl dozing on the television with an innocent air. It looked as if Olga had influenced his mind after all. That was all to the good: explaining who the talking owl was would have been rather tricky.
‘Have you got any food?’ I asked.
‘What kind?’
‘Any kind. Tea with sugar. A piece of bread. I used up a lot of strength too.’
‘I’ll find something. How did you get cut?’
I didn’t go into the details, but I didn’t lie about it either.
‘It was deliberate. I had to do it to get you out of the Twilight.’
‘Thanks. If it’s true.’
He was a bit cheeky, but I liked that.
‘You’re welcome. If you disappeared into the Twilight, my boss would have my head.’
The boy snorted and got up. But he was still keeping his distance from me.
‘What boss is that?’
‘A very strict one. Well, are you going to pour me some tea?’
‘Anything for you.’ Yes, he was still afraid. And he was hiding his fear by being cocky and familiar.
‘Get this straight – I’m not a human being. I’m an Other. And you’re an Other.’
‘But what’s the difference?’ said Egor, looking me up and down challengingly ‘You don’t look any different.’
‘Until you give me some tea, I won’t say a word. Didn’t anyone teach you how to treat guests?’
‘Uninvited ones? How did you get in?’
‘Through the door. I’ll show you. Later.’
‘Come on then.’ It looked like I was going to get my tea after all. As I set out after the boy, I couldn’t help recoiling at the smell. I just had to say something.
‘You know what, Egor, why don’t you wash your neck first?’
The boy shook his head without looking round, busying himself with making the tea.
‘It any case, it’s stupid only to protect your neck. There are five points on the human body where a vampire can bite.’
‘Oh yeah?’
‘Yeah. That is, I mean on a male body, of course.’
Even the back of his neck turned red.
When Egor passed me my tea, I tipped five heaped spoons of sugar into the mug and winked at him.
‘Pour me a glass of tea with two spoons of sugar … I want to try it before I die.’
He obviously didn’t know that old joke.
‘And how many should I take?’ he asked.
‘How much do you weigh?’
‘I don’t remember.’
I estimated his weight by eye.
‘Put four in. To prevent hypoglycaemia.’
Gulping down his tea, he said:
‘Explain!’
This wasn’t anything like the way I’d planned. Follow the boy when the Call reaches him. Kill or capture the vampire. And take the grateful boy to the boss – he’d be able to explain everything properly.
‘Once upon a time …’ I said. ‘Like the beginning of a fairy tale, that, isn’t it? Only this isn’t a fairy tale.’
‘I’m listening.’
‘Okay I’ll start with something else. There is a human world.’ I nodded towards the window, the little courtyard outside and the cars crawling along the road. ‘There it is. All around us. And most people can’t move beyond it. That’s the way it’s always been. But sometimes we turn up. The Others.’
‘And vampires?’
‘Vampires are Others too. They’re a different kind of Other, though, their powers are determined in advance.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Egor, shaking his head.
Okay, so I’m no tutor. I’m no good at expounding the basic truths, I don’t enjoy it …
‘Imagine two shamans who have gorged themselves on narcotic mushrooms, beating on their tambourines,’ I said. ‘A long, long time ago, back in prehistoric times. One of the shamans is putting one over on the hunters and the chief. The other one suddenly sees his shadow, which was trembling on the floor of the cave, gain volume and rise up until it stands erect. He takes a step forward and enters the shadow. He enters the Twilight. And that’s when the most interesting part begins. You understand?’
Egor didn’t say anything.
‘The Twilight changes the person who has entered it. It’s a different world, and it makes people into Others. But who you become depends entirely on you. The Twilight is a raging river flowing in all directions at once. Decide who you want to be in the Twilight world. But make up your mind quickly, you don’t have much time.’
Now the boy understood. His pupils contracted and his skin turned slightly paler. An excellent stress response, he really would make a good operational agent …
‘Who can I become?’
‘You? Anybody you like. Your choice still hasn’t been made. And you know what the basic choice is? Good or Evil. Light or Dark.’
‘And are you Good?’
‘First and foremost I’m an Other. The difference between Good and Evil lies in your attitude towards ordinary people. If you choose the Light, you won’t use your powers for personal gain. If you choose the Dark, that will be what you do most of the time. But even a black magician is capable of healing people and finding people who have been lost. And a white magician can refuse to help people.’
‘Then I don’t see what the difference is.’
‘You will. You’ll understand when you choose one side or the other.’
‘I’ll never choose!’
‘It’s too late, Egor. You’ve already been in the Twilight, and you’re already changing. In a couple of days the choice will have been made.’
‘If you choose the Light …’Egor got up and poured himself some more tea. I noticed it was the first time he hadn’t been afraid to turn his back on me. ‘Then who are you? A magician?’